Warhoggie
Enlightened
I got this idea after my friend's store was tagged. If you love a perfect beam without artifacts, this write-up is probably for you. Not sure if anyone done this before. Also, like everything else in life, there's pros and cons to this.
My victim is a stock new 2D Mag-Lite with stock bulb. At the tightest focus all I got was this sorry a$$ beamshot:
Man, what can I do??? Solution: a $10.99 bottle of glass etching cream. (Noticed it says it may not work on some pyrex glass):
Safety first: wear proper safety glasses and latex gloves. I used a bottle of isopropyl alcohol and cleaned the stock bulb. Follow the directions on the bottle of glass etching cream. I used a Q-tip ear swab for this project. Wait 5 minutes; rinse the bulb under hot water until the cream is off. Blow dry bulb, and wipe down with isopropyl alcohol again before usage.
Stock bulb before etching:
Stock bulb after etching. Noticed I didn't do a good job toward the bottom of glass globe:
Beamshot of mod stock bulb in stock Maglite 2D @ tightest focus:
Pros: Perfect beam, no artifacts, very little cost, all stock parts. Will work with any lights. Even high power mod lights with a smooth reflector.
Cons: Estimated 20%-25% decrease in lumens. However, this depends on how long you marinate the bulb. Armour Etch recommends 5 minutes for a nice stain glass. But for our purpose, marinate the bulb for 2-3 minutes will get rid of the artifacts on the bulb, with less lost of lumens.
Enjoy! Please sticky if this is useful.
My victim is a stock new 2D Mag-Lite with stock bulb. At the tightest focus all I got was this sorry a$$ beamshot:
Man, what can I do??? Solution: a $10.99 bottle of glass etching cream. (Noticed it says it may not work on some pyrex glass):
Safety first: wear proper safety glasses and latex gloves. I used a bottle of isopropyl alcohol and cleaned the stock bulb. Follow the directions on the bottle of glass etching cream. I used a Q-tip ear swab for this project. Wait 5 minutes; rinse the bulb under hot water until the cream is off. Blow dry bulb, and wipe down with isopropyl alcohol again before usage.
Stock bulb before etching:
Stock bulb after etching. Noticed I didn't do a good job toward the bottom of glass globe:
Beamshot of mod stock bulb in stock Maglite 2D @ tightest focus:
Pros: Perfect beam, no artifacts, very little cost, all stock parts. Will work with any lights. Even high power mod lights with a smooth reflector.
Cons: Estimated 20%-25% decrease in lumens. However, this depends on how long you marinate the bulb. Armour Etch recommends 5 minutes for a nice stain glass. But for our purpose, marinate the bulb for 2-3 minutes will get rid of the artifacts on the bulb, with less lost of lumens.
Enjoy! Please sticky if this is useful.
Last edited: